On Grief and Grieving  

March 31, 2019
(Photo credit to: Mike Labrum on Unsplash)  

Grief is an emotion we all experience --  at times intensely, at other times fleetingly, or sometimes intermittently. It is a complex emotion because it often calls up other emotions, such as fear or anger. May this Blog help you honor the experience of grief, discover new ways to work through grieving, find acceptance, peace and the energy to move on and to grow. 

Grief is simply loss. The triggers for grief as we move through life are many, indeed. It could be loss of a loved one – husband, wife, partner, mother, father, grandmother, grandfather, brother, sister, child, or pet. It might take shape as loss of health – either for yourself or a loved one. It might be a divorce or relationship breakup. The list goes on: loss of friendship; loss of your job; loss of financial stability; loss of a cherished dream or ambition; trauma; abuse. 

In my...

Only One Rule...

March 15, 2019 

This week I took a moment to celebrate a small win. When I paused, it suddenly occurred to me, I had not taken the time over the past six months working on this project, to celebrate the series of small wins which brought me to this place.   

• When was the last time you gave yourself credit?
• What did you do to celebrate?
• Have you ever found you are so busy doing, doing, doing…that you do not take the time to congratulate yourself on the progress you have made, rather than beating yourself up over what did not get done?
• Do you just check the task off your endless to-do list and immediately move on to the next thing?
• Do you ever find yourself saying, “great job, but…?”

We can be our own toughest critics. I know that has often been the case for me.

One of the ways I chose to celebrate what I had accomplished this week was to sit in my Loft and read out loud, “Only One Rule”, one of my...

Facing Fear, Finding Your Courage 

February 26, 2019 

I have been doing a lot of reflection on Courage, these past few weeks. Finding Your Courage is inspired by family, friends, colleagues and clients in their everyday acts of courage. I want to honor their struggle – our collective struggle.

Change is a constant. Sometimes change happens to us. Sometimes we make change happen. Either way, change can evoke fear or courage, or both. Courage really starts with being aware of what we fear – and taking action anyway.  

Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the resistance to fear and the mastery of fear, as Mark Twain so pungently observes.  

So let’s get practical now. We all want to be courageous. We have role models for courage in films and books and cartoons. And what does everyday courage really mean? What does everyday courage really look like?

Recently, I came across an article by Melanie Greenberg which helps us think...

Just Breathe 

February 5, 2019

As I was caught up in the challenges of the Polar Vortex that gripped much of the US last week, I kept repeating to myself: Just Breathe.

Watching my good friend and neighbor’s house and his darling cat, I found the water pipes had frozen – and he had only been gone for 4 hours! Just breathe. His plumber came immediately -- problem solved, and no damage. Hmm…if that could happen so quickly, I thought, “Better check a few bathrooms in my house.” The pipes under an upstairs guest bedroom had frozen. Just breathe. I trucked my space heater over to that room along with a fan and waited. Just breathe. My wonderful plumber was at the ready next morning, when, miracle of miracles, the water started to trickle. Lesson learned, I let all the faucets trickle for the next several days. Just breathe. Well cripes – I missed my deadline to write and post my bi-weekly Blog. Just Breathe. 

Life happens...

The Conundrum: Balancing Family, Work, and Play Time

January 16, 2019

Like many of us I have long puzzled over the conundrum: “Is it possible to find a comfortable balance between family, work and play time ?” 

At one point in my search, I concluded the answer was No! 

I did not think it was possible to find an easy answer – much less any answer – to this question.  

You know… there are just too many challenges:

• Things, basic life circumstances like health and jobs, keep changing.
• Surprises, and not always the good kind, keep popping up.
• There is only so much time in a day, and my “To-Do List” never gets completed.

I don’t see these as excuses. I see these things as reality. 

There are only 168 hours in a week. There is no magic potion that can create time. There is no amount of money that will allow us to buy more time. For each of us, there are only 168 hours in a week. 

At one point...

What Do You Want in 2019? 

January 2, 2019 

I know people talk about New Year's Resolutions. Others focus on setting Goals and Action Plans. I like to ask myself -- what is my Dream for this New Year? One of the reasons I prefer the word "dream" is because it gives me the freedom to step outside of the "normal" boundaries -- and imagine the possibilities. 

Very simply -- What Do You Want in 2019?

As one of my favorite authors, Paulo Coelho, says: 

When you want something, 
all the universe conspires
in helping you achieve it.  

If you are in search of an inspiring novel with deep wisdom, consider reading "The Alchemist" -- it is all about following your dreams and listening to your heart.  

As we start 2019, I want to wish everyone my very best for health and abundance in 2019.

I invite you to set your intention for 2019 and follow your dreams. If you have already done that, terrific! If you have written it down in your Journal --...

“Hope” 

December 6, 2018  

As we begin the last month of 2018, as we approach the longest night on December 21^st, the winter solstice in the Northern Hemisphere, as we set our sights on the coming year, may your heart and soul be filled with “Hope.”

I am not referring to hope in the sense of expectation, wishes and desires. Rather, I am looking to the spiritual sense of hope as trust and resilience.  

I believe I was born with “Hope” in my heart. When you read Chapter 8 in “Be Happy NOW!: Release and Rejoice”, where I share my story of tracing back my fears to when I was in my mother’s womb, perhaps you will understand why. When fear was all around me, when people were crying, when they did not put a name on my birth certificate, I was born. I came alive. In my age regression session with my guide, David Prudhomme, I was able to feel an amazing emotional release of deep-seeded fears and to connect with...

I AM Alive with Gratitude

November 21, 2018

“I AM Alive with Gratitude. “ This is one of the I AM affirmations from my personal list of 25 I AM affirmations around energy, an exercise we discussed in my last Blog, The connection I feel when I am deeply grateful is the emotional energy of joy.  

Please pause and take a couple of minutes to look at this exquisite photo of a sunset that was taken down the road from my Lake House overlooking Lake Erie. Thank you, Greg Peiffer, for allowing me to use one of your sunset photos. Greg is the CEO of WPCR/WPIB Radio, a friend and neighbor, who has a passion and talent for photography – and a journal of amazing sunset photos.  

We all have a sunset experience or a sunrise experience. What is the experience you remember of a sunset or sunrise when you paused and allowed yourself the five minutes to fully and deeply be in the moment, when the sun so quickly and amazingly disappears over the horizon? What...

Energy and Enthusiasm 

November 8, 2018

I am excited! I am enthusiastic! I am energized!

Paulo Coelho, a personal favorite of mine for creative energy and inspiration, writes: 

“When you are enthusiastic about what you do, 
you feel this positive energy. 
It is that simple.”  
                        --Paulo Coelho

We have devoted the past month to energy – how we create energy to live our lives with passion and purpose and enthusiasm.

Now, let’s tie it all together with a simple, practical exercise: Let us write 25, positive, I AM…  affirmations focused on energy.

Here is the exercise: Complete the sentence “I AM…”  or “I AM more…” and fill in the word or action statement that affirms your stepping into or doing more to raise your energy level -- physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually....

ENERGY: Release and Be Free

October 23 2018 

Picking up where we left off on October 16th: We are in the 4^th and final quarter of 2018. Let us create the ENERGY to Finish Strong!

I love this quote by St. John of the Cross:

             “The weight of arrogance is such that no bird can fly carrying it.”

This goes to the heart of my message in this newsletter: There is great power and energy when we learn to let go – to be free and fly.  

I am an experiential learner – I learn at a deeper level when I both read and experience the lesson. For this reason, I am including extra doses of meditations as a companion for you to both reflect on the ideas and to experience … the experience of “letting go”.  

Here goes. My next 3 tips to dramatically increase your energy are to bring a higher level of awareness and intention to: 

• Tip #4: Releasing Stress
• Tip #5: Releasing Judgement...